Amanda Goetz loves spending a little mother-daughter time when her adult child is home from college.

She and her daughter Jacque shop, get their nails done and see movies together.

“She is one of my best friends and I think she feels the same way. We are years apart and have our own friends, but she’s the first one I call when something good happens.”

Goetz, 36, and her daughter, 18, will add a new wrinkle to their together time when they ice skate on the same team for the first time in an international Theater on Ice competition, Thursday-Sunday, April 20-23, at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor.

Theater on Ice is sanctioned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association and combines figure skating and ice dancing with the elements of theater. Teams create a six-minute routine with costumes, props, music and skating moves. The result is similar to what an audience might see during a professional ice show.

Amanda and Jacque Goetz of Highland Township will skate together for the first time in competition on Harmony Theater Company's adult team during the Nations' Cup.(Photo: Submitted)

“When you watch it you’ll see a lot of good skating, a lot of artistic ability and fun themes with great costumes,” Goetz said. “Theater on Ice is fun because it has a mixture of everything — dance, freestyle, synchronized skating, all combined. It has some pairs skating, too.”

Teams from six countries will compete in the 2017 Nation’s Cup competition, which is being held the first time in Michigan, and the second time in the U.S. Harmony Theatre Company, based at The Ice House Skating Academy in Hartland, hosts the event and its teams will compete at the adult, novice, junior and senior levels.

From 18-80

Goetz, a skating coach at The Ice House, joined Harmony’s adult team five years ago. Her daughter skated with Harmony for five years in a different division, but moved to the adult team this year. They’re among 24 skaters of wide ranging ages and skating abilities at Harmony's adult level.

“What I love about theater is we have an 80-year-old on our team, from 18 to 80. That’s unheard of in any other discipline in skating to have such a wide range of athletes,” Goetz said. “It’s really fun. It’s a great feeling and a treat to be out there with people who care about the sport as much as you do. And it’s extra-special for me this year because my daughter is on the team.”

Goetz began figure skating at age 6 and skated with the University of Michigan’s synchronized skating team while in college. She has coached freestyle skaters since her college days, and introduced her then young daughter to the sport.

“She fell in love with it. I coached her until she was 9 and then got her another coach.”

Jacque and other college students who compete with Harmony’s adult team, learn choreography when they are home from school, practicing while away at college.

“These kids have been doing this Theater on Ice all these years. It’s not hard for them to pick up the steps,” Goetz said. “The beauty of theater is those who can spin, spin. Those who can jump, jump. You may not be good at jumping, but you may be a good actress.” All skills are valued and skaters perform at their own level.

Harmony’s adult team earned a second place at the 2015 Nation’s Cup, which was held in France. Will it score a first place in Ann Arbor?

“It would be really nice,” Goetz said. “But we can’t think about what the judges will do. We just need to go out there and have fun.”

Other local skaters on the adult team are Chris Walker of Farmington Hills, Peggy Ki of Novi, and Stanley Mackey of Redford.

In other divisions, local skaters include Madison Alestra and Cora DeWyre of South Lyon, Paige Bartholomew and Alyssa Kormos of Milford, Olivia and Sonoma Colasanti of Highland, Cathryn McGowan and Rachel Teets of Livonia, Salina Shi of Bloomfield Hills, and Angela Wang of Canton, all on the senior team; Carly Apple and Emily Denhof of Milford, Paige Conrad of Northville, and Jolie Beasley of Bloomfield, on the junior team; and Jillian Gerus of Canton, and Caroline Michalak of Bloomfield Hills on the novice team.

Watch the adult teams compete in a short program beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday. The adult gold cup competition starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Other divisions will compete Saturday-Sunday. Tickets are $15 per day or pay $50 for an all-event pass. Visit 2017nationscup.com/product/tickets.